I was at all 4 Canucks games in the tournament and my top 5 prospects in the tourney are:

1) Cole Cassels - solid all around game and never took a shift off2) Frank Corrado - solid, best defence man in the tournament3) Bo Horvat - star in the making4) Ludwig Blomstrand - good penalty killer, skater and very involved5) Hunter Shinkaruk - great hands and offensive instinct

Given he's 18 (...) best guess is he plays at around 6'1 190 to 195, i.e about average for a center.

And we are talking about a 3rd rounder here so who cares...

Now if Gaunce, Hovart, or Jensen fail what a party you can have.

3rd rounders are "house money" given the low expectations Cassels and Suban both look like fantastic picks.

Everything looks smaller when you are 75lbs too heavy and 75 points lower on your IQ so go easy on him spud...

Exactly, Cassels is a complete long shot darkhorse so who cares, we shouldn't even be talking about him but we are maybe because he worked his ass off in a nothing tourney. Now it's up to him to do the same in the minors for the next few years then we see. I liked his fathers play so maybe the work ethic rubbed off on da kid. He'll fill out, as you say. Neither pump tires nor kick them because of his name. Fuck'n Canuck fans...complete schmucks 5'11" - 170 lbs

TDA Rum wrote:I was at all 4 Canucks games in the tournament and my top 5 prospects in the tourney are:

1) Cole Cassels - solid all around game and never took a shift off2) Frank Corrado - solid, best defence man in the tournament3) Bo Horvat - star in the making4) Ludwig Blomstrand - good penalty killer, skater and very involved5) Hunter Shinkaruk - great hands and offensive instinct

Good to hear that we may have a winning lottery ticket with Cassels. I hope he makes it far enough in training camp to see him on TV. His dad was a smart player, and hockey smarts go a long way

Or, as I knew him at the begining of the game, "Who the hell is this guy". Who he is, it turns out, is an effective, poised, large and mobile defenseman. Standing at 6'3, 194lbs, this smooth skating defenseman, who played last season with Chicago of the AHL, was Mr. Everything for the Canucks on the back-end. Power Play Quarterback? Check. Physical presence in the Defensive zone? Check again. Calm, smart and effficient puck mover? Check, check and check. I used the word 'poised' more in my notes to describe him than I have in the preceeding decade. At 22, it makes sense that he would stand out amongst mostly younger players, but the degree in which he stood out floored me.

Incredulous that a player that I'd never heard of could be so good - and I live in Vancouver - I had to ask Canucks Young Stars Coach, former NHL'er, current Head Coach of the AHL's Utica Comets, and accomodatingly nice man Travis Green, what he thought. "I liked him. I liked him a lot. He's a good player" was his response. I was hoping for a longer answer, because, dammit, I have an article to write. For whatever reason - likely my complete lack of understanding of journalistic protocol - I began to tell him of how impressed I was with his play, especially considering that I'd never heard of the guy. My candour on the matter made Coach Green smile, chuckle a bit, and offer up that "Oh no, he's good, doesn't surprise me, I expect a lot out of him, he's one of our better players". Take the Coach's words, Canucks Army.

2. Cole Cassels - C

The Canucks 3rd Round pick in the 2013 Draft is a gamer. The Goal and Assist he tallied barely begin to tell the story on this guy. For one, he could've got another assist on his Goal if they did that - he set up the whole play. He was a presence all game long. He won key faceoffs in the Defensive zone, was a relentless checker in both zones, and whenever he had the puck on his stick, the game seemed to slow down. A player in control. If that isn't enough for you, he'd create traffic in front of the net, and considering he's a mere 6' and 178 pounds, he handled the abuse very, very well. He was an effective presence in all 3 zones, and if there's a tool besides monstrous size and elite hands missing from his toolbox, I'm not sure what it could be.

In the words of the not-quite loquacious Coach Green, "Yeah, he's real good". We then bantered back and forth for a very real and slightly awkward 5 seconds mutually saying "yeah, yeah, he's good".

3. Niklas Jensen - W

If we were going on 1st period alone, he'd win a goat horn or two, but as the game went on, his 1st Round pedigree began to show itself. His fancy stick work, ('dandy' was the word I used in my notes), surprisingly high motor on the forecheck and superb passing skills stood out to me. But what really surprised me was how willing he was to get involved physically. He battled HARD on the boards, rarely skating away puck-free. As well, there wasn't a post-whistle scrum that we wouldn't stick his nose into. A fine blend of offensive skill, good defensive awareness, and a surprising amount of grit, it became easy to understand how his name has been bantied about as a possible NHL'er this year.

most likely to make the big team this year are Jensen and Corrado. Size is not going to be an issue for Subban, he will play in the NHL in a couple of years. He just needs to learn how to play defense better, his offensive game is too good not to make it. I think Guance will be fine, I think he will be a winger in the NHL. Guimond sucked in the first game but really came on. Wesley Myron really surprised me, he has an outside chance. The Canucks centre problems for the future no longer exist. They have some very good young centres coming. Horvat and Cassels leading the way, need to see what their university guys can do. The play improved for everyone as the tournament went along. The invitee that might be a pleasant surprise one day is Zach Hall, I think given time to develop further he might be able to be a good offensive player at the ahl level at least. I think Jesse Mychan is worth developing as a third/fourth line guy. Ericksson is going to be very good but needs a year in the ahl. Anderson and Cedarholm will both be in the NHL one day.

LOL, nothing like Gagner. Perhaps one of the worst comparisons I have heard.

This coming from the guy that sucked on the stick of Gilbert Brulé for years....a 5'11" 184lb Giant that he insisted the Canucks missed out on. Makes you wonder what the young men of North Van do in the evening in Lighthouse Park.

bckev wrote:most likely to make the big team this year are Jensen and Corrado. Size is not going to be an issue for Subban, he will play in the NHL in a couple of years. He just needs to learn how to play defense better, his offensive game is too good not to make it. I think Guance will be fine, I think he will be a winger in the NHL. Guimond sucked in the first game but really came on. Wesley Myron really surprised me, he has an outside chance. The Canucks centre problems for the future no longer exist. They have some very good young centres coming. Horvat and Cassels leading the way, need to see what their university guys can do. The play improved for everyone as the tournament went along. The invitee that might be a pleasant surprise one day is Zach Hall, I think given time to develop further he might be able to be a good offensive player at the ahl level at least. I think Jesse Mychan is worth developing as a third/fourth line guy. Ericksson is going to be very good but needs a year in the ahl. Anderson and Cedarholm will both be in the NHL one day.

Some good points but...who don't you like?

Smurf defencemen like Subban rarely pan out.

The optimism of last year regarding Gaunce has thankfully been tapered to a more realistic level.

We essentially have the 2 Swedish rookies to rely on in an emergency if Luongo goes down.

I agree there's finally some depth down the the road and down the middle.

The optimism of last year regarding Gaunce has thankfully been tapered to a more realistic level.

We essentially have the 2 Swedish rookies to rely on in an emergency if Luongo goes down.

I agree there's finally some depth down the the road and down the middle.

Now about that blueline depth...

The current top four defensemen, Edler, Hamhuis, Bieksa and Garrison, still have three plus years on their current contracts. Tanev is steady but cannot produce much offense. Corrado looks good but not sure how high his ceiling is. Since defensemen usually take longer to develop, I agree that the Canucks should start drafting some quality defensemen in the 1st and 2nd rounds.

I think they have some good young defensemen they are developing that should be ready for prime time at just the right time. I think Subban skates well enough to make up for his size. If he doesn't grow he will be a guy you have to spot and use wisely and have as a power play specialist. I think he has enough smarts to learn how to play despite his size. I think he has that rare offensive ability to overcome his size. I agree that people on here goo over board on their expectations, they think every player has to be a superstar or they are a bust. Hockey is a team game that relies on players to play different roles. If you can look at players in the perspective of the role they might play I think we are developing some good young guys. I was hoping they would draft Shinkaruk because those are the kind of players that you don't develop they have it or they don't. I think subban is the same. We forget these guys are still kids and have lots to learn. Guance fits in that role for me. He is a big guy who is very mature but has to learn that he can play with the big boys. I think it is going to take time for him to develop is offensive confidence, give him a couple of years to do that, and in the mean time he won't hurt you defensively.

bckev wrote:I think they have some good young defensemen they are developing that should be ready for prime time at just the right time. I think Subban skates well enough to make up for his size. If he doesn't grow he will be a guy you have to spot and use wisely and have as a power play specialist. I think he has enough smarts to learn how to play despite his size. I think he has that rare offensive ability to overcome his size. I agree that people on here goo over board on their expectations, they think every player has to be a superstar or they are a bust. Hockey is a team game that relies on players to play different roles. If you can look at players in the perspective of the role they might play I think we are developing some good young guys. I was hoping they would draft Shinkaruk because those are the kind of players that you don't develop they have it or they don't. I think subban is the same. We forget these guys are still kids and have lots to learn. Guance fits in that role for me. He is a big guy who is very mature but has to learn that he can play with the big boys. I think it is going to take time for him to develop is offensive confidence, give him a couple of years to do that, and in the mean time he won't hurt you defensively.

Besides Tanev, Corrado, and Subban, can you name another defense prospect that has top-four potential? Sauve seems more like a bust. Polasek, Andersson and Tommernes might one day be top-six but could very be busts as well...

Jovocop wrote:Besides Tanev, Corrado, and Subban, can you name another defense prospect that has top-four potential? Sauve seems more like a bust. Polasek, Andersson and Tommernes might one day be top-six but could very be busts as well...

Frankly, I'm quite happy with three potential top six defencemen in our system, especially with our current top 4D in the prime and locked up to longish term deals. 3rd pairing NHL defencemen are not exactly impossible to find. What's the rush?

I don't quite understand this obsession with having oodles of high end prospects in our system when:

a) We have been an elite franchise for the last number of years with a correspondingly low drafting position.b) We have no current place to slot any of these folks in our actual NHL line-up

I'm not arguing that having elite prospect talent is a bad thing. That would be rather silly. I just wonder where you're supposed to find all the folks when drafting at 22,23,24,25,26 etc drafting position.

I like the Detroit development approach. Lot's of seasoning in the minors before breaking into the NHL. Seems to work wonders for them. Maybe Detroit fans also sit around and grouse about their prospect system and why shiny new objects aren't being rushed into their NHL line-up - but I kind of doubt it.